Horticulture changes Amreli farmers’ destiny

Amreli: Farmers in the Amreli district in Gujarat are taking a lot of interest in innovative farming. Most farmers have decided to switch away from traditional methods to horticultural crops. This decision can be called judicious because it not only boosted their horticulture yields but also strengthened their income. Therefore, horticulture farming is the demand of the time in Amreli and its neighbouring areas.

A 53-year-old farmer, Gokulbhai, was the first who brought a change to Chamaradi village. He started horticulture and mixed farming on his 30 bighas of land. In the beginning he planted two varieties of guavas, Red Diamond and Taiwan guava, in 20 bighas of his land; fortunately, he got excellent results.

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Gokulbhai shared his guava orchard experience, saying his orchards are 5–6 years old, yielding fruits for 8 months of the year. Currently, he has been earning Rs 10-11 lakh every year from his 2000 guava plants. It means his per bigha income is about Rs 50,000–60,000. Besides this, he grows mixed crops like cabbage, tomatoes, chillies, and castor on other parts of land, fetching Rs 3–4 lakh annually.

With the horticulture cultivation, Gokulbhai has been earning around Rs 14 lakh per year; out of this income, he has to spend Rs 3 lakh on other expenses. He is now an example for the entire region. Several farmers have been inspired by his success story. They are now getting encouragement to adopt modern and diversified farming practices for better production and high income. This is clear evidence of potential in horticultural crops transforming the lives of Amreli district farmers.